Sara Reads Things

 My book review of Atonement by Ian McEwan. Title: Atonement By: Ian McEwan Genre: Historical Pages: 351 Release Date: September 20th, 2001 Publisher: Anchor / Random House Rating: ★★★★☆   Summary from Goodreads: Ian McEwan’s symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English prose. On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses the flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime whose repercussions Atonement follows through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century.   Add on Goodreads   Review: I've been reading too many depressing books as of late. It seems my book challenge has...

  Being a mother of three autistic children, its very rare to find a recipe my kids will eat over and over again. This pumpkin muffin recipe is one of those rare gems. I made a batch of muffins yesterday and by this morning, there are only three left. Just three.  Just as I promised last week, here is my recipe for the most delicious and fluffy pumpkin muffins you will ever have. Make sure you are following me on Instagram so you don't miss all the recipes I share.  @Dinner_With_Sara Course: Snack Servings: 24 Muffins Time to Make: 40 Minutes Ingredients: 15 oz Pumpkin puree 4 Eggs 2 Cups white sugar 1 Cup veggie oil 3 Cups flour (I use gluten free) 2 tsp Baking soda 3/4 tsp Salt 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Ginger 1/4 tsp Cloves 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1 1/4 Cup chocolate chips (optional) Muffin cups Instructions: 1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees 2. Mix pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar and veggie oil together until combined. 3. Mix in flour, baking soda, salt and all spices. Make sure to ...

 My book review of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. Title: Yellowface By: R.F. Kuang Genre: Fiction Pages: 329 Release Date: May 25th, 2023 Publisher: The Borough Press Rating: ★★★★★   Summary from Goodreads: Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I. So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song--complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be ...

  Hello and welcome back to Monday. This is the blog post where I share the book I'm reading this week and the delicious menu of recipes for the week. Well... I think the family is finally feeling better. It only took a week and a lot of whining, but we made it. I'm still dealing with congestion, but its better than the alternative. This weeks read is Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz by Garth Nix. I've had to put a lot of my physical books back on the shelf for a bit as the audio books I've ordered from the library keep rolling in and I only have 21 days to listen to them before I'm placed back in the queue to wait for them again. They are taking priority. This is one of the physical books, but its one of the shorter ones, so I'm hoping to fit it in between my audio books. Lets get to this weeks menu. We've been having some really delicious meals the last few weeks and I'm hoping to keep that trend going. Enjoy! WEEKLY MENU Monday Spicy Sausage and Potato So...

  Hello Sunday! Welcome back to my weekly confessions where I recap what's been happening on the blog. Sunday Confessions #216 ~ Weekly Menu #523 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Butterfly by Yusra Mardini ~ Recipe: Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Thighs ~ Book Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Weekly Menu #524 And The Book Of The Week ~ Book Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang ~ Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins ~ Book Review: Atonement by Ian McEwan ~ Sunday Confessions #218 Pumpkin Muffins: This recipe will be on the blog next week. Fetta and Spinach Chicken Patties: Love this recipe and will be sharing it in the future. 95/100 2023 Reading Challenge ~ 57/196 in my  Star Wars Legends challenge ~ 64/341  Gilmore Girls challenge ~ 74/100 in my  100 books before you die challenge I am so close to completing my 2023 reading challenge and my 100 books before you die challenge is really moving along as well. Once I get those two out of the way, I can really buckle down on the...

 My book review of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Title: Rebecca By: Daphne du Maurier Genre: Historical Thriller Pages: 449 Release Date: December 17th, 2013 Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Rating: ★★★★★   Summary from Goodreads: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..." Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county's showpiece. Rebecca made it so - even a year after her death, Rebecca's influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter's shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow? A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completely...   Add on Goodreads   Review: So... I watched the movie first and then read the book. I think if it was the other way around, I wouldn't have loved the book as much, but I have to say, this was a wonderful read. There were so many parts in t...